“The situation has changed. We have to leave immediately.”
“I’ve come to the same conclusion. There’s no point in stalling anymore.”
“…Suddenly?”
Noah looked bewilderedly between Karl and me. It was understandable—someone suddenly barging in and insisting we leave right away would fluster anyone.
“What happened?”
“I’ll let Mr. Karl explain. I’m off to meet—no, contract—someone.”
Leaving behind a confused Noah, I ran in the direction Til had disappeared.
The demons busily loading up supplies glanced at me suspiciously, but I had no time to worry about that.
***
After a few minutes of running,
I spotted Til leisurely picking at a skewer by the campfire.
“What brings you here, oh former employer?”
“This is no time for jokes.”
“Is that so?”
“The Three Blades are here.”
Til froze mid-chew.
After hurriedly swallowing whatever was in her mouth, her expression twisted into a grimace.
“Those guys under the First Duke? Why the hell are they here?”
“I don’t know. I just know they are here.”
“Shit.”
Til jumped to her feet, chucking the skewer aside with irritation.
“Any guesses?”
“Seems the First Duke’s caught a whiff of something.”
Probably about Blaiher and Hendrick.
***
“Are they taken care of?”
“Yes, we dealt with two.”
“We’ll handle the last one after the mission is over.”
A middle-aged man in black brushed his tired face with one hand.
He had traveled nonstop from the First Duke’s domain in the east all the way to the northern tip—Novosibir.
“After this, I’m sleeping for a whole day.”
Muttering, Victor turned around. Four other black-clad individuals stood behind him, faces expressionless, awaiting orders.
“We’ll split up. You three, track Hendrick. My adjutant and I will find Count Valheit.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the designated three vanished.
Honestly, he would’ve preferred the easier task of tracking Hendrick himself.
“How does it look, adjutant?”
“Count Valheit is definitely here. Seems he’s partnered with the Border Guard and some local crime groups, but I don’t know why.”
“That’s enough to get started. Damn that old man. Vacation, my ass.”
The adjutant chuckled quietly at Victor’s griping.
“You look like you’re in a good mood.”
“My apologies.”
“No need to apologize. Meeting a friend is always a good thing.”
“I don’t consider her a friend.”
“Then let’s call her a ‘bad companion.’ Would’ve made my life easier if she’d joined our side…”
The adjutant nodded, unfazed by the complaints.
Victor half-listened, half-muttered to himself as a different name swirled in his mind.
“Til Chartra. You’re here, aren’t you.”
“…And that’s why the old man sent me to Novosibir ‘for a vacation.’”
“…….”
“Are you listening?”
“Ah, yes. Of course.”
Pretending to listen, Victor waved dismissively.
“Forget it. Let’s work. Where was he last seen?”
“The print shop in town.”
“Lead the way.”
“Yes, sir.”
Victor’s body moved by command, but his mind remained somewhere else.
“This time, I’ll get an answer—why you left us, Til.”
***
“Oh, my poor life…”
Stunner tapped his back.
He had survived many crises as a traveler and whistleblower, but this was a first.
It was one thing when Cesare’s goons stormed in, even though he’d never messed with them, but being rolled up and thrown before Count Valheit? That was on another level.
Why a famous figure like Valheit was in a border town like Novosibir was a mystery—but the tasks he was given were even stranger.
“First, he had me make anti-Border Guard propaganda. Now he’s got me compiling an entire ledger… I can’t keep up.”
His hands were numb from adding to an already crammed document.
If not for Cesare’s name, he’d have refused outright.
He’d messed with plenty of Federation barons—but when it came to Cesare, he couldn’t lift a finger.
“All done! Come collect it!”
Stunner’s voice echoed through the print shop.
No reply—only his own breathing.
Something was off.
Cesare’s goons, assigned to watch him, should’ve reacted. At the very least, he should’ve heard the print shop staff moving about.
Bad feeling.
His survival instincts, honed from dodging barons, blared alarms.
Knock knock.
Someone knocked.
Definitely not Cesare’s men—they never knocked politely.
Not the staff either—why would they?
He stacked junk against the door.
The knocking grew faster.
Whoever it was, he had to run.
Should I take this?
He hesitated, eyeing the painstakingly copied ledger.
If he ran to the Federation, he wouldn’t need to hand it over—but he shook his head.
Might come in handy as an excuse later if I get caught.
There was only one way out—the window above.
He quickly stacked furniture to climb.
“Dammit. What a mess. Guess I’ll have to go into hiding again.”
Just as he squeezed out the window, a voice startled him.
“Yeah, we’ll talk about it later.”
Turning his head, he saw a man in black perched on the roof, looking down at him.
Definitely not one of Cesare’s—his outfit was far too nice.
“No need to be so nervous. Just have a few questions.”
“O-Of course. Ask away.”
Not the place for Q&A, but Stunner answered smoothly.
That black outfit… he’d seen it before.
“You met with Count Valheit recently, didn’t you?”
“Who?”
“Don’t play dumb. It’s exhausting for both of us.”
Damn. So he knew everything.
No point pretending.
Stunner confessed everything without hesitation.
“Yes, I met him.”
“Where is he now?”
“Said he was going to the Demon Tribe’s sector, but I’m not sure.”
“Nice and clear. I like that.”
Only after climbing out did Stunner get a good look at the man.
Jet-black coat and clothes, with a stark white emblem:
Three swords laid side by side.
Stunner immediately remembered where he’d seen that ominous uniform.
“The Three Blades?!”
“Bingo.”
The man replied casually.
Stunner cleared his throat.
No idea what they were doing here, but these weren’t the type of people you wanted to get involved with.
“Why did you meet with the Count?”
He considered saying he was kidnapped—but changed his mind.
If both Cesare and Valheit were involved, and now even Johann Geller’s dogs had come sniffing, it was clearly political.
Taking sides would just get him buried in the woods.
“He said he had a job for me. That’s all. Just asked me to make something. Pamphlets and such.”
“What kind of pamphlets?”
Stunner decided not to mention the ledgers.
He didn’t want to get labeled a traitor by the narrow-eyed man.
“He asked for a bunch of flyers blaming the Border Guard’s incompetence for Hendrick’s escape.”
“I see.”
Stunner could tell the man had lost interest.
And he knew full well what happened to informants who outlived their usefulness to the Three Blades.
“Can I go now?”
“Well…”
The man spoke leisurely—so Stunner leapt.
Crash!
Boxes piled in the alley scattered with a loud crash.
Within the wreckage, Stunner had vanished.
“…Quick on his feet. Guess I really am getting old.”
The man clicked his tongue and turned his gaze toward the Demon Tribe’s sector.
“Guess I’ll handle the Count first.”
***
I tapped my knee irritably.
Up until now, time had generally been on my side.
Thanks to my knowledge of the future, I usually took the initiative.
But not this time.
I had no information.
I always knew that the more I interfered with the story, the more likely it was that things would deviate from what I knew.
Still, the timing and the opponent couldn’t have been worse.
Right when Noah’s trust in me had hit rock bottom, a crisis had to erupt.
He’s not even letting me in on the conversation.
It had been thirty minutes since they’d gone off “to talk it out.”
I was completely ostracized.
The only small mercy was that Til still had their trust.
Convincing Noah’s group would have to fall to her for now.
Let’s sort through what I know.
The Three Blades, Johann Geller’s dogs, had arrived.
If they were sniffing around despite Chartra having practically taken the capital, it meant they knew something.
Word of Hendrick’s escape hadn’t even left Novosibir yet.
Unless they were absurdly lucky and intuitive, it meant there had been a leak.
Most likely from the Border Guard.
The commander wanted to bury the incident, but there was no guarantee the rank-and-file would do the same.
Geller’s intelligence network was tight—within the Empire, it wasn’t strange if something slipped.
If the Three Blades arrived barely a day after Hendrick vanished, they must’ve moved the moment they caught wind.
Which meant…
They’d already been watching Hendrick’s movements.
But why care about a toothless old man like Hendrick? Was Geller planning to use him too?
Well, he was a major figure in the Imperial family—his symbolism alone could be useful.
Most likely, Geller wanted to secure Hendrick and check me at the same time.
“You look troubled.”
“What is it now?”
“Tch, always so snappy.”
Til approached, scowling.
Well, the situation was urgent.
“They accepted that staying here is too dangerous while they’re being accused of kidnapping Hendrick. They’ve agreed to go to the Northern Federation.”
“Sounds like there’s a ‘but’ coming.”
“The other paths are blocked, so they want to use that old mine. They’re asking us to guarantee everyone’s safety until they’re through.”
Makes sense.
I’d already had the Border Guard block every other path except that one.
Originally, they were supposed to slip through unnoticed—but with the Three Blades here, we had to act too.
“Alright. Let’s do it.”
“They also want the ledger.”
Ah, that…
Cesare’s man was supposed to deliver it, but who knows what happened.
“I’ll retrieve it and meet you there. You go ahead and guard them.”
“…What level do you think the people sent this time are?”
Til crossed her arms, frowning deeply. For her, that was unusually tense.
“They probably sent their most discreet and trusted. Whether they’re after Hendrick or me, the First Duke wouldn’t act lightly. And yes—I think you’re right. They sent Victor.”
Til’s frown deepened.
Victor was the dirtiest, most covert operative in the Three Blades.
He was absolutely loyal to House Geller.
Whenever something had to be handled quickly and quietly, Victor went.
That alone made him dangerous—but Til hated him for another reason.
“You look bothered. Something wrong?”
“He’s just a pain to deal with.”
Pretending not to know, I asked casually. Til answered just as casually.
But I knew it wasn’t just that. It was history with an old friend.
I didn’t say anything—just changed the subject.
“Let’s move fast. I’ll go alone—you handle the escort.”
“You sure? He might be after you.”
“No matter how old this snake gets, they won’t kill me over a grudge.”
As I walked away confidently, I heard Til mutter behind me.
“…A grudge, huh.”
I didn’t look back. I could already picture her face.
I was a little worried about what that reunion would bring.
My steps quickened.
I need to regroup as fast as possible.