-Click, Clack-

The sound of shoes echoed in the wide corridor.

Walking along the corner of the corridor that surrounded the courtyard, was Jin who was clad in fine clothes that were distinguishable from afar. His white attire, which served as a background that highlighted his navy blue hair and eyes, featured an embroidery of Rulan Kingdom’s crest on his chest. His stride was straight and reliable even as he read through the stack of papers in his hand.

Freely using the long compass as he walked, Jin abruptly looked up and fixed his gaze up ahead.

The front of the corridor.

A group occupied the hallway as if they were preventing Jin from advancing to the direction he was headed to.

At the head of the group stood a man, who, like Jin, also wore clothes that had Rulan Kingdom’s crest embroidered on his breast.

“What do we have here? It’s unusual for you to be in the palace, my dear younger (step*)brother.”

“Why, it’s been a long time, (foolish**) elder brother!”

Jin bowed to the approaching man who was accompanied by an entourage. While his head was bowed, Jin smugly smiled at the man who did not understand the meaning behind his passing words.

The man in front of him was called Riol Rulanbaldt.

The First Prince of Rulan Kingdom.

Although he is Jin’s older brother by name, he had no blood connection to them.

While the other prince and princesses shared the same father, as far as Jin was concerned, his relation to the Rulanbaldt Royal Family was no doubt of a complete stranger.

“It is said that Royals never roam without companions. I cannot say for certain that the inside of the palace is as safe as it claims to be. Even I don’t know when or where my life could be taken.”

“So, for example…”

Jin, whose smile did not reach his eyes at Riol’s mockery, directs his gaze to the inner courtyard, “On top of that tree or,”

Moving his gaze behind his back next, “Are you like one of those people who are aiming for me from the shadows? Or,”

His gaze returned to the front and reflected Riol, whose face had slightly stiffened.

“Is it one of your escorts who are likely to draw their swords, or is it the woman whose atmosphere is clearly not that of a female attendant?”

“Wha–!?”

Jin’s eyes dangerously sparkle at the heavily trembling Prince.

Ahh, so stupid.

“Pfft.”

“What’s so funny!?”

“There is no need for worry, (foolish) elder brother.”

“Ha?”

“My companions are completely reliable.”

The loud snap of his fingers reverberated throughout the loud hallway.

“……”

“? What are you…….”

Echoing, just like that. Or so it seemed.

Nothing changed before and after Jin snapped his fingers.

At least, nothing happened in the surrounding areas that were visible.

However……

“At ease, (foolish) elder brother. The scoundrels who are sneakily aiming for our lives have just been erased from existence.”

“Wha—”

“Find their employer and return them to that person.”

“W-wait!”

“There is nothing to be worried about. I shall do my best so that the same thing will never happen again. No matter who hired them.”

Jin laughed quite enjoyably as Riol’s face visibly reddened in an instant.

“L-let’s go!!”

Stuttering, Riol’s departing words were similar to that of a child throwing a tantrum.

“Fuhaha. He’s stupid in all respects. If so, then those accompanying him might be somewhat better. Only after I suggested it were they aware of your presence. What do you think?”

When asked by Jin, who started walking again after a quick glance at the retreating group, a man appeared soundlessly behind him.

“Apparently, if one cannot even honestly fake their own mood, then, they still have a long way to go. In the first place, for someone who did not even notice until Jin-sama pointed it out, then they are, without a doubt, a person of that line.”

The man, whose expression was indiscernible as the black robe deeply covered his eyes, spoke with a quiet voice.

“How harsh. There are probably only a handful of people who are aware of your existence.”

“Nevertheless, our main trade up to the bitter end is still in the mercenary business. But, those who are professionals cannot even notice it……”

I’m amazed. Even if he spoke in a quiet voice, the dismay wasn’t even felt as much.

Jin shrugged his shoulders at such a man and returned to the stack of papers he held in his hand.

In the mercenary guild, The Double Winged Sword, the members are divided according to their combat styles.

The warriors, who attack mainly with weapons, regardless of the distance.

The wizards, who mainly use magic to attack.

The commanders, who work around with resources, strategies, and schemes in the rear.

And then, there are the assassins, who specialize in intelligence, infiltration, and assassination.

When dealing with all the guild members, teams and strategies are based on these 4 main groups with balance and efficiency in mind.

As for the group divisions, several people, including the man in the black robe, who are on standby and continue to hide their figures and presence, belong to the group of assassins.

“What would you like to do with those people? It’s possible to give them back to their employer as you said, but…”

“Just return one part of what they could recognize. I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“Understood.”

The robed man nodded once and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Along with that, as soon as one presence disappeared, two more presences were left beside Jin.

“A report from Kamina***. The preparations are ready. Also, take this with you. In this battle, we, The Double Winged Sword, have been assigned to respective units.”

With a thud, they casually presented behind Jin who had a stack of papers in his hand.

The report was interpreted by one of the men who soundlessly appeared as the first man did.

“You did a good job giving these assignments out.”

“Of course. It is unlikely that my opinion won’t go through in this country. That’s why I worked for this country for more than 10 years. When I told them that I will lend about half of the members of our Double Winged Sword guild, they were so happy, they jumped for joy. Each group is divided into 4 or 5 people. The members were chosen based on their requests. If even the assignments were requested, then the other party would become suspicious, so I let them do as they pleased. I’ll leave the rest to Kamina.”

“Roger. Where is Jin-sama assigned to?”

“I’m in the guard unit of the headquarters, in the central battalion. I was the only one ordered to be by the King’s side as the Second Prince.”

“The King’s side, huh? He must be very cautious of you.”

“Even if he trusts me as the Second Prince, he cannot trust me as a member of The Double Winged Sword. If you were to borrow more than half of the forces, then there is also the urge to take a hostage for unexpected situations.”

This country is trying to have a battle that it cannot win unless they take in ‘allies’ that might betray them as ‘enemies’ anytime.

The lush lands of the neighboring country, ‘Rideiran Kingdom’ and the calm seas that bring many blessings. Surrounded by harbors with ocean currents that are easy to dock in, trade ships from all countries come and go. That country has so much wealth, that I am dying to get my hands on it. On the other hand, half of Rulan Kingdom is mostly covered by deserts, while most of the other lands facing the sea are composed of cliffs.

However, even though magic has not developed to an extent in such a small country, the sword skills of the soldiers have considerably advanced instead, especially since the knight’s commander changed 5 years ago. It is said that the Knight commander’s unit, the ‘Special Task Force’, which is mainly composed of elite soldiers, surpasses the battle power of any other unit.

Although such a place is also counted as a small country, the difference in troop strength is clear, and it is considered reckless no matter how much Rulan Kingdom wants to challenge them — but I want what I want. Now then, what should I do with such good news?

The King of Rulan Kingdom said that it was a great opportunity to attack since it was reported that ‘demons have appeared in Rideiran Kingdom, the country’s security was disturbed, and the country was beginning to collapse’.

While it may be true that there is a chance of winning, that country is not so weak. However, before the power which they so desired was the mercenary guild, The Double-Winged Sword, to which the Second Prince of this country belonged.

In the first place, it was Jin who brought such news concerning Rideiran Kingdom, and that’s why the King asked Jin to lend him power in order to win the battle.

The King’s request was easily accepted, and it was said that he was going to be lent more than half of the forces of The Double Winged Sword.

The negotiation was completed by declaring that Jin will be the only one who will be claiming the reward as the guild’s representative after they win the battle, so Rulan Kingdom was able to add 40 individuals who had the ability of more than a thousand men each into their own country’s military strength.

But, like all good stories, there is also a hidden side to this one. That’s why the King was wary.

Even if they say that they will lend their power, it is well understood that they are a stateless guild and not necessarily allies as a whole.

Therefore, Jin, who had joined the Royal Family as the Second Prince, was placed on the King’s side during the battle, so they cannot interfere much.

“It’s about time Ait returned, isn’t it? Tell Elaine to move and get the preparations done. Those who will be moving with Rulan Kingdom will be picked up at a later date. It’s about those guys — although I’m sure that there is no oversight, but make a final check just in case.”

“Alright.”

“Now, I hope this entertains me.”

It was not clear to whom those words were uttered.

-Click, Clack–

By the time the sound of footsteps disappeared from the wide corridor, Jin’s figure was also no more.