Amid the pounding rain, the clash of blades and the sound of steel piercing flesh rang without end. It was like a grand, stirring symphony—only it wasn’t played on keys, but with lives cut short one by one.

After an unknown length of time, this soul-stirring symphony finally reached its closing notes.

Figures clad in black emerged silently from the unseen darkness. Even when their feet stepped into puddles, they didn’t stir a single splash—a testament to their exceptional stealth.

Every one of them carried a gleaming rapier.

Kain silently watched the black-clad figures drawing closer. From the moment the gunfire rang out earlier, he’d known that the thin, stooped old man before him had already taken control of the situation.

What he hadn’t expected was that The Empire, too, now had assassins capable of matching the Black Crow Society’s killers.

As if he’d guessed what Kain was thinking, the old man turned his head slightly. “I trained them using the same ruthless methods as that elder of the Black Crow Society. If their opponents are on guard, they’re still far inferior to the Society’s assassins. But…”

More and more people emerged from the shadows, until they gathered into a vast mass of darkness. At a rough estimate, there were more than a hundred.

“With surprise on our side and nearly three times their numbers, we had enough to swallow this whole feast.”

At that, a grave look entered Kain’s eyes. “You mean there were originally three hundred here?”

In the earlier breakout battle, nearly eighty naval soldiers had given their lives, yet they’d killed only seven assassins. Even counting those Roy had killed while clearing a path, the total couldn’t have exceeded fifteen.

After the firing squad’s volley earlier, there should have been around a hundred assassins left. And according to Federo, The Empire’s death squad—three hundred men, three times their number—had still suffered more than half its strength in casualties to take them down.

When facing monsters trained by the Black Crow Society, you really couldn’t afford to underestimate them in the slightest.

As Kain thought over the situation, a black-clad figure who looked no different from the others stepped out of the mass of shadows. He stopped three paces in front of Federo and bowed slightly.

“Reporting to you, Governor: according to our count, ninety-seven assassins were killed in this operation.”

At that, Kain frowned. “That’s not right. There should have been a hundred and thirty-two in total.”

The black-clad man glanced at the officer in surprise, seemingly unable to understand how he knew the exact number.

“He was the one who told me in the first place.”

Federo explained to his subordinate without expression, then turned his gaze to the officer. “Do you see how dangerous the Black Crow Society is? Even in a situation like this, they still managed to withdraw about a quarter of their forces.”

“In that case, those people…”

Kain seemed to suddenly realize something. A rare flicker of surprise entered his blue eyes, and even his voice grew a little hurried.

“That’s right. They should be on their way back to their base, and that’s where…” Federo gave him a deep look, his eyes hinting at something more. “That Miss Anderson was headed.”

After a thorough search confirmed that not a trace of the Black Crow Society remained in the ducal estate, the frightened nobles were escorted by soldiers and attendants to a neighboring estate—the former home of House Howard.

No one had lived there since that hellish blaze. But to console Governor Naren, whose heart had been reduced to ashes, His Majesty the Emperor had it rebuilt to the same specifications as before, as a memorial, and ordered people to maintain it regularly.

On the day the estate was completed, Naren had brought Kain, who was still studying at the military academy, back to this sorrowful place. He’d stored his admiral’s uniform and epaulettes—the remnants of his past glory—there, and never looked back.

The nobles had been settled in the castle’s living quarters. Some might still be unable to close their eyes, dwelling on the terrifying assassination attempt; others had fallen asleep, overcome by the deep exhaustion of fear and panic. Solemn naval patrols stood outside every noble’s residence and throughout the estate.

Only the study in the entire castle was still lit. Outside the door, Major General Meri waited in silence, her expression calm. A major paced back and forth, unable to settle, alongside several of the military’s most skilled close-combat soldiers. Inside, there were only two people.

Kain and the Governor.

Federo set down his hot tea and looked at the young man, who’d been silent ever since entering the study. “Kain, you know there aren’t many things in this world that can escape my notice. Even if you manage to fool me for a time, you’ll never keep it from me forever.”

As the man in charge of all The Empire’s intelligence agencies, Federo knew very little that others didn’t. No matter how perfectly that young woman had disguised herself, she’d still let a few things slip—and those slips were little habits she’d long since taken for granted.

Knowing what the old man meant, Kain pressed his lips together. His voice held not a trace of emotion. “I know how capable you are, and I never expected our plan to fool you. But… so what?”

Yes, contrary to what he’d told Roy, even if that infamous captain really was a woman, and even if she’d shed her fangs, donned a new skin, and become a docile lamb, it would still be hard to fool the old man.

Even so, he’d still taken her to the ball.

In his eyes, the captain’s grudge against The Empire was nowhere near as important as Federo’s safety—or the threat the Black Crow Society posed to The Empire.

He’d even hoped this might ease the conflict between her and The Empire.

But as he watched the old man issue one order after another, he realized he’d been wrong. In Federo’s eyes, there was no weighing one thing against another. Anyone who was an enemy of The Empire had to be eliminated.

That was why he treated the old man he was close to so coldly—and why he’d begun to show his own fangs.

“Are you going to say that she saved you, and that she made undeniable contributions to The Empire’s war against the Black Crow Society?”

Federo paid no attention to the chill radiating from the young man. He continued reading the intelligence reports arriving in the study, sipping his bitter, invigorating tea.

Kain’s hand, hanging at his side, slowly clenched into a fist. His heart sank lower and lower at the old man’s matter-of-fact question. “Isn’t that true?”

“Naive.”

That was Federo’s judgment of the young man who’d asked through gritted teeth. A trace of disappointment entered his eyes. “Who is she? She’s Golden-Eyed Roy. She’s known throughout the world for her masterful disguises. Even I nearly let her blind me. What chance did you have?”

Kain fell silent for a moment. Though he hated to admit it, he knew some of the goodness that young woman had shown him was false. After witnessing the captain’s terrifying skill, he’d become even more certain of it.

Clingy, fragile, in need of care… Those words simply didn’t belong to a legendary pirate, let alone Captain Roy, who was cold-blooded and skilled at manipulating people. As for loneliness…

He was sure she’d never cared about feeling that way.

But…

Kain drew a deep breath, forcing down the agitation in his heart and returning to his usual calm. “But she saved me. She cared for me as I escaped the clutches of death, and protected me from the Manticore. None of that was fake.”

“She didn’t even refuse to attend the ball. So what right do I have to doubt her motives, pry into her intentions, or question her disguise?”

Kain slowly straightened up, like a lion guarding its territory. “So, Governor, what if she is?”