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“Request?”

I furrowed my brow slightly.

I came here thinking it would be a clean-cut situation, hoping to avoid unnecessary complications, but now that changes everything.

“Yeah, a request. We’ve been struggling a lot lately.”

“You?”

When I thought of her skills that I’d once witnessed firsthand, hearing the former ace of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau and the current queen of the Dark Alley say she’s been struggling was hard to believe.

Seeing my unsatisfied reaction, Silvia spoke up in an impatient voice.

“Recently, a crazy organization has been causing havoc; the Dark Alley is in complete chaos. You know about it, right?”

“Ah…”

Is she referring to the future of the Empire?

Now that I think about it, the coachman mentioned they were kidnapping other races and selling them in the black market.

The black market he referred to was obviously the Dark Alley.

Silvia must have recalled that situation as she lightly shivered while speaking.

“Days ago, agents from the Intelligence Bureau and the Royal Guard raided the Dark Alley. Do you have any idea how many shops have had to close because of that? Customers are too scared to come down here. We’re losing money while trying to do business.”

No wonder the Dark Alley seemed quieter than its reputation suggested. It seems Elizabeth handled the situation well.

Suddenly, a curious thought popped into my head.

“There must be some abducted other races that have been sold here.”

“Yeah, there were.”

“What happened to them?”

“Why are you asking the obvious?”

Silvia wore a cunningly sweet smile that resembled a naive countryside girl.

“Of course, we took good care of them and handed them all over to the Royal Family.”

“……”

That was an unexpected virtuous act, considering her expression. The contrast between her innocent countryside girl face and such a smile felt jarringly strange. I wondered how long she planned to keep up that disguise.

Thinking back, Silvia had always been that way.

She appeared to be a cold assassin who had experienced the dark side of society and carried out all sorts of dirty work, but in reality, she maintained a gentle inner side while keeping certain lines intact.

Perhaps it was because Silvia had once grown up in this brothel. That’s why the women down below referred to her as ‘sister’ and followed her.

Of course, her not touching the other races wasn’t solely out of compassion. Given that it’s Silvia, she would certainly have realized that the other races the Empire handed over could explode if provoked.

Still, I felt my tension gradually easing, and after some contemplation, I slowly spoke up.

“…What’s your request?”

“Really? Really? No backing out, right?”

“I’ll just listen for now.”

“Okay, okay. It’s not that difficult of a request.”

Silvia got off the bed and walked toward me with a subtle smile.

“Babe, your skills are still good, right?”

*

I decided to gather information about Ella’s whereabouts a week later.

Information brokers didn’t just pull information out of nowhere; they needed time to investigate and compile it themselves.

In the end, I resolved to decide whether or not to fulfill Silvia’s request after a week.

Ideally, payments were taken in advance, and the balance settled afterward, but since we’re friends, she said we wouldn’t need to deal with advance payments.

To sum it up, Silvia was plotting to restore the diminished commercial power of the Dark Alley.

For now, she would have to act cautiously under the watch of the Imperial Royal Family, but in a few weeks, their interest would wane, and she planned to organize an event to draw customers back to the dark alley.

At that time, she asked if I could lend a hand briefly for her request.

I accepted under the condition that if the information provided a week later was lacking or if my thoughts changed, I could refuse anytime.

It would be fortunate if today’s dealings turned out to be worthwhile, but I couldn’t shake off my unease throughout the tram ride back to the Academy.

A week later, when I receive information about Ella.

If the worst situation I imagined became a reality.

“……”

Thinking too long about unresolved issues is pointless.

I buried my overflowing thoughts deep within and took the tram back to the Opal Black Dormitory.

Having returned from the Dark Alley, it was already past dinner time. I had planned to eat with Saladin today, but it seemed that would have to wait until tomorrow.

However, when I returned to the dormitory.

“We can’t delay any longer! Instructor Ion!”

Gwen was waiting for me at the entrance, standing confidently.

I wondered how long she had been like this; she had already changed into her training clothes and was waiting at the dormitory entrance with a training sword in hand.

I couldn’t help but let out a light chuckle at the sight of her blocking the door by herself.

“Anyone would think you’re a warrior’s apprentice, not a swordsman.”

“Huh?”

“Never mind. Let’s head to the training grounds.”

“A-Okay! Yes, sir!”

As I spoke, Gwen’s face lit up with excitement, and she dashed toward the training grounds.

While other students screamed and struggled during training, she seemed genuinely delighted to practice with the sword.

It made me think that Gwen’s real talent might be her ability to find joy in such moments rather than her swordsmanship.

I pulled out a training sword from the training grounds and faced Gwen.

Without taking a specific stance or letting my spirit flow, the mere fact that I held a sword filled Gwen’s eyes with intensity.

“Let’s start from the beginning.”

“Yes! I look forward to it!”

The essence of this training was to help Gwen discover her own “Sword of the Rock.”

However, since I was neither a formal practitioner of the Sword of the Rock nor a master of swordsmanship, it was unreasonable for me to teach Gwen proper techniques.

Therefore, I wouldn’t really be teaching her anything.

What I did was simply attack Gwen with the Sword of the Rock.

Boom!!

As our swords clashed, it felt as if two massive rocks were breaking against each other. Gwen fell to the ground in an instant.

Yet, Gwen, even while rolling on the floor, didn’t drop her sword. She quickly shook off the impact and got back up to challenge me again. Each time, I overpowered her with the Sword of the Rock.

Yes. This training was about attacking Gwen with the Sword of the Rock, allowing her to gain insights along the way. It was a crude method, but it seemed to provide her with a sense of achievement.

After Gwen had swung her sword so much that she couldn’t move anymore, she collapsed onto the training ground floor, dropping her sword.

“Hah, hah…”

In contrast to Gwen’s gasping breath, my own was steady and undisturbed.

I placed both training swords back on the rack for her, then calmly spoke to Gwen.

“Are you okay?”

After taking a while to catch her breath, Gwen finally opened her mouth as her breathing steadied a bit.

“…Are you okay? I couldn’t have possibly enjoyed it more.”

She slightly propped herself up and continued.

“You used the downward slash I saw at first, the stance of the Thousand-Year Stone. You can strike down from a grounded position while harnessing your body’s strength into the sword… I never imagined I could use the Sword of the Rock that way…”

Even after hearing Gwen’s explanation, I struggled to find a suitable reply. I had only just learned that the stance was called the Thousand-Year Stone.

I merely thought it would be alright to apply what I’d seen, watching how a swordsman deflected blows.

But if that method helped Gwen, then that was enough.

“Just use it as a reference. In the end, that sword doesn’t suit you.”

“…I know.”

Gwen’s expression turned serious, and she nodded, then suddenly let out a short sigh.

“I wonder what my teacher would say if he saw me like this.”

“Are you worried about that?”

“To say otherwise would be a lie… but I’ve already made my choice.”

Gwen’s gaze appeared distant as if she was looking somewhere far away.

“I feel that the Sword of the Rock is not merely about blocking and counterattacking. If I continue to learn from you, Instructor, I believe I might uncover the true essence of the Sword of the Rock that my father tried to teach me.”

I nodded slightly.

“Then I guess I can increase the intensity from here.”

“…D-Did you say to intensify things?”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

That statement seemed to ignite Gwen’s fighting spirit; she clenched her fists tightly and boldly replied.

“I’ll do it…!”

*

The following day after finishing my lessons with Gwen.

Saladin didn’t show up for class.

 

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