Around that time, in a dilapidated building on the outskirts of the capital.

Sunlight dimly leaked through a hole in the cobweb-stained roof. The dark space vibrated with the stench of blood mixed with damp dust.

A languid breath flowed from Claude’s lips as he leaned back in his chair. At his feet knelt men with severely swollen faces.

They were managers of the Heide Guild’s capital branch. Specifically, they belonged to the Rube district branch, known as the most vicious in the commoner district among the twenty branches in the capital whose exact locations were unknown.

Their bodies were so covered in blood that it was hard to find a single uninjured spot.

“Water.”

At Claude’s brief command, a knight poured a bucket of ice water over the men’s heads.

“Gaaah.”

As the cold ice water touched their wounds all over, the men groaned with distorted faces from the overwhelming pain.

Claude, who showed no reaction to their miserable state, asked in a monotone voice.

“Who was the client?”

“……Haven’t we told you ugh, already…… The ones who took the commission all died…… we don’t know either.”

Claude’s lips expelled a puff of air at the answer they had repeated like parrots several times already.

“You handle your business so sloppily without even keeping records?”

Claude, who had sucked his cigar so deeply that his cheeks hollowed, blew smoke directly into the men’s faces. Cough, the men hacked, with dirty saliva soaked in blood dripping from their mouths.

“Personal commissions…… we, we don’t know. We explained everything last time, didn’t we?”

One man with an aggrieved expression looked toward Heriot with a pleading gaze. They had already spilled everything to Heriot when he visited with knights previously.

“Why…… w-why are you doing this to us……!”

“I think I’ve been quite lenient so far.”

Claude, who had been delegating to his subordinates, had decided to take matters into his own hands for a while.

It wasn’t exactly following Baren’s advice. He could execute these vermin without any sense of guilt, unlike his knights.

“……W-we really……”

“You’re noisy.”

Claude, who had been watching them with cold eyes, flicked his index finger.

A knight approached and stuffed a bundle of cloth into the man’s mouth. Simultaneously, a sharp blade pierced through the man’s thigh.

“Mmmmph!”

The gagged man choked as if about to die from the terrible pain. Soon, a thoroughly sharpened blade plunged into his other thigh as well.

The sword repeatedly stabbed deep into his body as he writhed in agony. Blood mercilessly flowed out, soaking the floor widely.

Eventually, the body bound with rope lost balance and collapsed. Only after the man’s struggling completely stopped did Claude shift his half-lowered eyes sideways.

His face was expressionless, as if all emotions had been castrated. The pupils of the men shook violently as they realized Claude’s position was no ordinary high-ranking one.

Just then, one man cried out in terror.

“B-briefly…… it, it was a woman, they said……!”

“……A woman?”

Claude’s emotionless face spread with puzzlement. Even he hadn’t expected the answer that the client who tried to kill Flora was a noble woman.

“Please believe us…… We really don’t know anything else.”

Claude’s ashen eyes gleamed coldly as he looked down at the men who consistently claimed ignorance.

“I’ll change the question. Where is your guild master?”

“……Th-that…… We’ve never even seen his face.”

“You operate under the respectable name of an information guild, yet you don’t know your guild master?”

Claude asked with a voice tinged with laughter.

“It’s true. All we know is that he’s from the west.”

“Well…… I’ll get answers one by one as I break you down.”

Claude muttered dryly and indifferently withdrew his gaze. Just then, the nearly collapsing wooden door opened and Baren entered.

“I’ve returned, my lord.”

“You must have been disgusted to go straight from drinking tea to seeing blood, good work.”

Claude had sent Baren without hesitation when he received the emperor’s invitation. Being a noble, it was proper etiquette to show one’s face to the emperor after returning after a year.

“More importantly, my lord. I have something to report. About the maid named Flora.”

Claude, who had been indifferent, seemed to ponder for a moment before speaking.

“……Clear them out.”

At his casual gesture, knights roughly lifted the men and dragged them to the next room.

Only after the men were dragged away and the door closed did Claude finally speak.

“What is it.”

“Today I visited the palace with that woman.”

“What?”

Seeing the duke’s reaction of hearing this for the first time, Baren spoke again.

“She said she received an invitation from the emperor.”

At that moment, Heriot, with a look of realization, brought an envelope from the corner and handed it to Claude. It was a letter that had come to the butler yesterday, but had been temporarily set aside as unimportant.

Claude quickly read the opened letter and tore it to pieces on the spot.

“What a foolish thing to happen. Was there any trouble?”

“Actually…… there was a bit of an incident in the palace.”

As Baren began, Heriot, recalling the incident from the previous banquet, urgently asked.

“Don’t tell me Flora drew her sword again?”

“That woman and Sir Garret from the Sternbrow household dueled.”

At this point, Baren revealed everything that had happened at the palace. Meanwhile, Claude’s expression gradually hardened.

He asked urgently.

“What exactly is that woman’s identity?”

“She’s someone I’ll send if the emperor calls. She’s from Filheim…… the 12th Division.”

“The 12th Division…… Isn’t that the place notorious for gathering only cruel individuals?”

It was an uncharacteristically direct manner of speech for Baren.

“That’s why I told you not to mess with her.”

Heriot chided him as if to say ‘now you know,’ but disturbance was visible on Baren’s normally impassive face.

“Were there women there too?”

“There were…… I only found out when I went there.”

Claude answered briefly.

A woman who belonged to a unit with a notorious reputation. Baren nodded with a face that gradually showed understanding.

“My thinking was shallow. So my lord kept her because she has value for use.”

“……Value for use?”

“Weren’t you planning to send her to the emperor’s side and instruct her to act as an informant later?”

His tone suggested that was obviously what should be done.

Claude’s expression became strange for a moment, but he soon regained his original demeanor.

* * *

The news that Flora had dueled with Rosaline’s guard reached the duke’s mansion that very same day.

The rumors spread so quickly that Flora was overwhelmed by questions. The staff welcomed her, saying she had taught the renowned knight a lesson, while the butler was notably reserved about the matter.

And around evening, as the duke returned after being absent for several days, Flora received his command.

“He wants you to come to the training ground right now.”

Deverik said with a troubled expression.

Sensing that his mood was unusual, Flora immediately headed to the training ground. Claude stood alone in the middle of the empty space.

“When did you return? Are your busy matters finished?”

“I heard everything that happened today.”

Flora’s feet, which had been approaching him happily, suddenly stopped in place.

Ah. So that was it.

Flora’s eyelids lowered.

“You went all the way there…… and ended up crossing swords with another knight.”

“I didn’t lower the mansion’s reputation. I won, after all.”

Flora spoke as if to say he shouldn’t worry since she had been victorious.

As she continued explaining that no one would be harmed by it, Claude felt something rising within him.

“Wasn’t nearly dying last time enough?”

“……”

“I mean you don’t need to act on your own in situations where you don’t have to step in.”

“……I’m fine though.”

Claude’s feelings were complicated as he looked at Flora, who had returned after being toyed with for the emperor’s amusement. Even if he had known beforehand, he couldn’t have prevented it, but strangely, it left him feeling dirty.

How could she say she was fine after being made a spectacle?

He tossed a sword to her.

“Draw your sword.”

The heavy sword she caught was a real one. Her blinking blue eyes lifted in confusion.

“Why this?”

“You seem desperate to swing a sword, so I’ll be your opponent.”

“……”

“Go ahead, show your skills as you wish.”

With that, Claude pulled out the scabbard from his waist and drew his sword. At the eerie sound of the blade scraping against the scabbard, Flora shook her head with a dissatisfied face.

“I don’t want to.”

“Why? Afraid I won’t be a match for you?”

His voice carried a strange, sarcastic tone.

Flora dropped the sword she was holding to the floor and said.

“That’s not it…… I can’t point a sword at my master. There’s no reason for me to cross swords with you.”

Her following words—that she didn’t want to hurt her master—sank gloomily. Claude briefly glanced at the sword she had discarded and furrowed his brow.

“Who’s worried about whom here?”

Flora kept moving her lips, her expression caught between a rock and a hard place. No matter what her master commanded, she truly didn’t want to do this.

Her stance when wielding a sword was accompanied by killing intent akin to obsession. But how could she harbor such emotions facing him?

Even if she deadened her heart, she was terrified that she might unconsciously cut him down if placed in a disadvantageous situation.