Chapter 59

The Candela Knights were Longsoniere’s nemesis. Albeit an unofficial one.

Whenever Longsoniere, the spying unit of the Republic of Libron, bribed Laurencian officials, the Candela Knights who were acting on covert orders from the royal family would execute the corrupt targets.

It was much like the relationship between a virus and a vaccine.

From the perspective of the Longsoniere, who were aiming to overthrow the Laurencian kingdom by increasing its number of hosts, the Knights were a persistent and frustrating obstacle.

Though Longsoniere vastly outmatched the Knights in intelligence and covert operations, they couldn’t compete in sheer fighting power.

The Candela Knights were few but elite. And among them, the current captain Josephine d’Azetta was unmatched in direct combat.

Fortunately, Longsoniere’s existence had yet to be exposed to the Knights.

Jamie spoke up.

“If we plan a full-scale ambush, even the Candela Knights would suffer serious losses.”

“But then they’d become aware of our existence. That would hinder all future operations.”

“Do you really think that would be a bigger loss? Personally, I think the pros and cons are about even.”

“My own calculations are similar. But for now, Longsoniere’s core forces, that is Operations Teams One and Two are away, aren’t they?”

“Ah, because of the operation you mentioned before.”

“Yes. Those two teams are preparing a mission to secure Caraphine. With only Team Three available, we can’t take on the Candela Knights head-on.”

“Then you’re right, Master. I was being shortsighted.”

“Your point is valid. Still, keep a close watch on the Candela Knights. Everything has its time. One day, the chance will come to eliminate that thorn in our side.”

“Understood. Then, regarding the Count Montieri situation for now…”

“It’s best to pull out. Replace the agent who had contact with the Count with someone from another city, and erase all traces.”

“Understood.”

After the conversation ended, Sakis Lubas instinctively reached to refill his empty cup with liquor. But after recalling his disciple’s earlier remark, that alcohol dulled one’s judgment, he stopped himself.

One more step toward fulfilling Longsoniere’s grand ambition.

Yet there were still many things to watch out for.

The Candela Knights were just one of the minor variables.

“Jamie, what’s the situation with Baron Winslet? I instructed you to monitor his movements.”

“No suspicious activity so far. Recently, he’s been moving people involved in Caraphine production out of the academy. Seems like he’s trying to erase any traces.”

“That’s the sensible thing to do. I thought he might be hiding some other scheme, but it seems I was wrong. In that case, we need to be more wary of the Thieves’ Guild.”

“The Thieves’ Guild?”

“Yes. We received a report that their activity at the Graychapel base has been unusual.”

“Graychapel…that’s the slum area, right? Close to the Thieves’ Guild’s turf… and also where the Caraphine is stored, isn’t it?”

“Exactly.”

“You think they’re after the Caraphine?”

“That’s the only logical conclusion. It was the Thieves’ Guild that volunteered to act as the intermediary in the deal with Baron Winslet. They kept quiet during the transaction to save face, but now that it’s over, it seems their greed is showing.”

“I’d like to make an example of them… but we’re short on manpower.”

“The real operation is this summer anyway. We just need to keep the Caraphine safe until then. Jamie, go to the Graychapel base yourself and extract the Caraphine. After that, make sure to regularly rotate the storage location.”

Jamie nodded.

“I’ll call the operation ‘Salad Delivery’.”

“…Why salad?”

“No particular reason. I’ve just been into salad lately.”

“…I’ll never understand the taste of today’s youth.”

“Or maybe you’re just getting old, Master.”

Sakis Lubas searched for a comeback but ended up closing his mouth and quietly pouring himself another drink.

***

The following afternoon.

Before heading out for a date with her fiancé, Josephine stood in front of a mirror for a final check of her appearance.

She smoothed down a stray strand of hair and touched up her lip color.

Still not satisfied, she squared her shoulders and gave herself a motivating talk in the mirror.

“You’re fine, Josephine. Your hair’s nice and dry, and your eyebrows are tidy. You’re wearing the dress gifted by Her Highness the Princess, right? Clothes make the woman. You did a face mask last night, went to bed early, and have been avoiding salty food for days. And also…”

It took her another ten minutes before she could finally step out the front door.

Waiting outside was a carriage.

It was the kind of luxurious vehicle that couldn’t be rented by just anyone. It was painted with black enamel, adorned with silver and mother-of-pearl inlay, and drawn by four sleek beautiful horses.

Yet even all of that paled in comparison to the man leaning casually against the carriage—

Her fiancé, Winter Winslet.

When their eyes met, Josephine’s face flushed slightly.

It had been a long time since their last date.

“Have you been waiting long?”

As always, her fiancé answered more with action than with words.

Josephine took his arm and stepped into the carriage.

Inside, it smelled lovely, and the quilted velvet seats were incredibly plush.

Yet she kept fidgeting, shifting her posture.

Noticing her restlessness, Winter spoke.

“Is the seat uncomfortable?”

“Huh? No. If anything, it’s the opposite…”

“The opposite?”

“Normally, I’ve always got my sword at my waist, so no matter how I sit, it always gets in the way. But without it, it actually feels weird.”

“Now that you mention it, you didn’t bring your sword. That’s rare.”

“Well, it’s my day off for once.”

That was a lie.

Josephine was the type who never let her sword leave her side. Except when sleeping.

If this were any other ordinary outing, she absolutely would’ve worn it, just in case she had to respond to an emergency.

But today, she made a conscious effort not to.

I mean, who brings a sword to a day-off date in a dress? It’s not like we’re just grabbing a quick drink after work…

Sure, there was that one time she’d shown up at her fiancé’s social event fully armed and caused a bit of a scene.

Which made it all the more important to make up for it now.

Today, Josephine had a clear mission:

To draw even a single line in the nearly dusty scoreboard of their neglected romance.

That was her goal.

As she straightened up and looked at Winter, he spoke as if he read her mind.

“You don’t have to try so hard.”

“…Huh?”

“You seem tense. Are you forcing yourself to change for my sake?”

“You could tell…? Was it that obvious?”

“It’s clear if you know what to look for.”

Josephine was slightly moved.

So he really has been watching me closely…

Then he said,

“You don’t need to be anything but yourself when you’re with me.”

“Still, isn’t it kind of strange? I mean, what kind of fiancée shows up with a sword strapped to her side every time you meet?”

“I like you best just the way you are.”

“What is that even supposed to mean?”

Josephine replied with a huff and started to fan herself with her hand.

“I-It’s a little warm in this carriage, isn’t it? Maybe I should open a window.”

Today was supposed to be her chance to earn a few points with her fiancé, but instead, she’d been letting him rack them up against her one after another.

Still, if love were a sport, this would be a delightful kind of defeat.

After a moment, Josephine asked in a more relaxed voice,

“By the way, where are we going? All you told me was to be ready on time.”

Instead of answering, Winter responded with a question of his own.

“Do you like theater?”

***

The carriage carrying the two of them came to a stop on Blondin Street, a bustling district on the eastern side of Lambart.

Blondin Street was the capital’s largest theater district.

Even if one couldn’t speak to its importance or scale, when it came to grandeur alone, its theaters rivaled the royal government buildings.

Stretching for six hundred meters south of the Blondin Decree Memorial Tower, large theaters lined the street. Their facades made for a dazzling display.

Hanging above the entrance of each theater was a small olive-colored flag, which indicated the venue had been officially licensed by the crown to host performances.

Though the Blondin Decree had revised the law to allow performances in any theater, making the flags largely symbolic now, the old prestigious venues still flew them proudly as a mark of tradition and legitimacy.

Beneath the flags, Josephine glanced up at the sky, then took a slow look around before carefully speaking while watching Winter’s expression.

“Um… are we a bit too early, maybe?”

The street was quiet.

Theaters typically opened their doors around sunset.

But it was only three in the afternoon.

There weren’t even any boardmen out advertising with signboards strapped to their fronts and backs, nor the usual cleaners sweeping up horse droppings.

Josephine wondered if her fiancé had made the beginner’s mistake of mixing up the time, but she brought it up cautiously, not wanting to embarrass him.

“It’ll be at least two more hours before the theater opens. Maybe we could stop by somewhere else first? There’s a nice café down that way.”

“You know the area well. Do you come here often?”

“Not often. Nust occasionally.”

After answering, Josephine quickly added,

“Ah, but I don’t go anywhere inappropriate! I’ve never even gone that far into the area.”

Though the main street was lined with respectable, well-maintained theaters, deeper into Blondin Street was a different story.

There, it was full of questionable establishments. Like unlicensed theaters with no flags, where the lines between cheap bars, gambling dens, and playhouses were all but erased.

A block or two deeper still, and one would even find brothels and slums.

The two faces of the capital.

Josephine was well aware of them and firmly kept her distance.

“I just make a point to check out new productions at the more reputable theaters when they premiere. That’s all.”

“Then that works out perfectly.”

Without explaining what he meant by that, Winter began walking toward Estwick, the largest and most extravagant theater on Blondin Street.

Since she was escorting him arm-in-arm, Josephine had no choice but to follow.

They reached the grand entrance of Estwick just as—

Clack.

The doors to the not-yet-opened theater swung open, and a group of people poured out.

It was the theater manager and the staff he had brought with him.

A round-bellied man at the front gave Winter a strained bow.

“Welcome, welcome. Baron Winslet, Estwick Theatre’s most distinguished patron. We’ve been expecting you.”