Moonlight spilled freely across the courtyard, bathing everything in a soft, silver glow.
Boom—
The fountain at the center surged, its clear waters shimmering under the night sky, the gentle splashes filling the quiet air.
The courtyard itself was eerily still.
Leinas stood beside Sakeer, a hint of relief between her brows.
Not far away, Imina leaned against a statue, her expression tinged with awkwardness.
Just moments ago, she had witnessed Leinas's solemn vow of allegiance.
It still shocked her.
Before, she had thought it was fine for her to remain here. But now…
She suddenly felt like an outsider.
Imina glanced at Sakeer, who seemed lost in thought.
Then, her amber eyes drifted toward Leinas's exposed face, carefully studying her features.
Was that the reason?
The thought flashed through Imina's mind.
After all, Leinas's past wasn't exactly a secret in the Empire.
As if sensing her gaze, Leinas tilted her head slightly and nodded at her.
Their eyes met.
A silent understanding passed between them.
But Sakeer wasn't paying attention to their exchange.
Leinas's sudden allegiance had been completely unexpected, yet it had stirred something within him—
A thought he had long suppressed.
"Assembling My Own Forces."
Sakeer had entertained the idea before.
But it had always remained just that—an idea.
Not only did he lack manpower, but even if he somehow gathered enough people, how strong could his forces realistically become within four years?
Even with a one-year buffer after the arrival of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick, it wouldn't make much of a difference.
His true opponent wasn't a mere native power of this world.
Even the Eight Fingers, an underground organization spanning the entire nation, had been obliterated instantly when it came into contact with the Great Tomb.
Underground forces?
This wasn't some child's game.
Sakeer understood one thing very clearly—
If he wanted to survive, he had to aim bigger.
When the Bone King was still in his paranoid phase, trying to showcase his power by slaughtering hundreds of thousands, attempting to balance his ruthlessness with forced benevolence—
His human weaknesses still existed.
And the only ones who could negotiate with Nazarick—who could even attempt to stand on the same playing field—
Were those at the national level.
The stillness in the courtyard stretched.
Then, breaking the quiet, Sakeer suddenly spoke.
"What's the outcome of this year's war between the Kingdom of Re-Estize and the Baharuth Empire?"
Leinas instinctively opened her lips to respond—
But then paused.
She realized she hadn't been paying attention.
Instead, the answer came from the side—
"Things aren't looking good for Re-Estize."
Imina's calm, measured voice carried through the air.
"It's not even the autumn harvest season yet. No one knows why the Empire suddenly started a war."
She narrowed her eyes.
"But because of that, the Kingdom's border garrison suffered heavy losses."
Leinas turned toward Imina, surprise flashing in her green eyes.
She hadn't expected a half-elf mercenary—a lone worker—to closely follow the Empire's wars.
Leinas's expression showed her curiosity.
Imina caught the look and responded, her voice cool and detached.
"Workers don't have an Adventurer's Guild to provide intelligence support."
She crossed her arms.
"We have to gather information ourselves. Which means—every bit of knowledge has value."
Sakeer nodded, lost in thought.
Before the main plot began, two notable events stood out between the Kingdom of Re-Estize and the Baharuth Empire:
This year's Imperial Trial, where Gazef Stronoff would rise as the future Warrior Captain.
Two years later, Gazef single-handedly killing two of the Empire's Four Imperial Knights on the battlefield.
It was after that event that Leinas was chosen by the Blood Emperor to become one of the new Four Imperial Knights.
At first glance, these events seemed unrelated.
But in reality—there was a clear connection.
This year, the Kingdom suffered heavy losses, while the Empire claimed a major victory.
And two years later—
It would be impossible for the Blood Emperor to send two of his strongest knights into battle without a serious reason.
Something must have happened next fall that dealt a heavy blow to the Empire.
Sakeer turned to Leinas, letting out a soft sigh.
"You won't be able to hide what you did for long."
Leinas met his gaze but said nothing.
"You slaughtered two noble families."
His tone was matter-of-fact, almost helpless.
Originally, in the intended timeline, Leinas had used the Blood Emperor's power to erase her family and her fiancé's family.
But this time—
She had done it alone.
That changed everything.
Sooner or later, someone would suspect her.
And knowing the Blood Emperor's personality—
A direct challenge to his authority wouldn't go unpunished.
"I'm sorry to cause trouble to you, my lord."
Leinas realized this as well.
Her pale cheeks twisted slightly with discomfort, and she bit her lip.
Suddenly!
Leinas sharply turned, her gaze locking onto Imina, who stood not far away.
"Hey, Sakeer!"
Imina flinched, seeing Leinas looking at her.
Then, as if on instinct, she raised her hands, took a step back, and forced a stiff smile onto her face.
"Is your adventurer team still recruiting?"
She had quickly realized—
What she had just heard was not appropriate for her, an outsider.
Familiar words rang out.
Leinas's dark blue pupils wavered slightly—
For a brief moment, a touch of strangeness flickered in her gaze.
Then, her expression calmed.
"Sorry, we're not hiring."
Sakeer shook his head, just as he had before.
But this time, his voice carried a different weight.
"However… do you want to take on a big job overseas?"
"I'll take it!"
Imina spoke immediately, without hesitation.
Meanwhile, suspicion flickered in Leinas's eyes.
"My Lord?"
"It's fine."
Sakeer smiled indifferently and said,
"There was no way to hide Leinas's situation in the first place… and besides, I don't plan on staying in the Baharuth Empire for much longer."
Truthfully, Sakeer was quite interested in Imina.
Not because of her appearance, but because of her heritage—
She was a half-elf.
As a hybrid of humans and elves, half-elves should, in theory, possess greater natural talent than ordinary humans.
Yet, due to their mixed blood, half-elves were often rejected by human society in this world.
Sakeer's gaze flickered as he laid out their next steps.
"You two will leave the Baharuth Empire immediately and head for the royal capital of the Re-Estize Kingdom."
Then, turning toward Leinas, he continued—
"Leinas, be as high-profile as possible along the way. Once you reach the royal capital, don't bother hiding your identity."
Leinas listened intently.
"Then, find a man named Gazef. He's well-known, so asking around for his whereabouts shouldn't be difficult."
"Challenge him to a fight."
"You don't have to win. A draw—or even a loss—is fine."
Leinas's expression held a hint of confusion, but she didn't question him.
Instead—
She placed a hand over her chest, nodding respectfully.
"Understood, my lord."
Sakeer then turned to Imina.
"Miss Imina."
"Just call me Imina."
She rolled her eyes.
Sakeer chuckled before continuing.
"Unlike Leinas, you should avoid attracting attention."
"Do your best to keep your connection to her a secret."
"Once you arrive in the royal capital, investigate an organization called 'Eight Fingers.'"
Imina raised an eyebrow.
Sakeer clarified,
"You don't need to dig too deep. Just selling this should be enough to catch their attention."
He reached into his sleeve and casually tossed a small object toward her.
Imina caught it, her fingers wrapping around the cool metal.
A Mithril dagger.
It was the very same dagger Sakeer had taken from a man affiliated with Eight Fingers.
Leinas looked at Sakeer, hesitation in her eyes.
Then, she finally spoke—her voice carrying a trace of concern.
"My lord, what about you?"
Sakeer's gaze lifted toward the deep night sky.
"I still have unfinished business in the imperial capital."
His tone was soft, yet firm.
"You two go ahead—I'll meet you in the royal capital."
His thoughts swirled.
If he was going to orchestrate a plan, then the sooner he started, the better.
He doesn't know if the "Blue Roses" are currently in the royal capital?
Even if they weren't, there were still things in the city worth planning around.
Originally, he hadn't been in a hurry—
But now… it seemed like the right time to act.