Have You Sworn Loyalty?
Darkness had fallen over the Nebla Duke Family Estate.
The corridors of the gloomy mansion, devoid of even a single servant, were filled only with silence.
Clack, clack.
Mist walked through the mansion at that hour of early dawn.
She arrived at the Fifth Library among the countless libraries lining the halls. Without hesitation, she opened the door and stepped inside.
As if she knew the positions of all the security spells embedded in the floor, she deftly avoided them and reached a bookshelf deep within the library.
With a familiar gesture, she tilted one of the books on the shelf and pulled it out at an angle.
Click.
The moment she touched it, her sharp ears caught the sound of gears meshing.
The angle, height, and the mana she emitted while gripping the book—all these factors had to align perfectly to activate the mechanism.
Grind, grind.
Click.
The bookshelf slowly slid backward, revealing a secret passage in its place.
She stepped into the passage with practiced ease.
Thud.
Once she had completely vanished, the library returned to its ordinary state, as if nothing had happened.
Continuing down the pitch-black secret passage, she arrived in a space reminiscent of a serene café.
A ballad melody that soothed the mind and body played softly, and the faint aroma of coffee tickled the nose like a playful tease.
Mist glanced around briefly before spotting a head of hair in the distance and approaching slowly.
"Ah, here you are!"
Perhaps sensing her presence, the man sitting quietly and enjoying his coffee waved her over with a smile.
"Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it?"
It was Karon, the butler serving one of the illegitimate sons, Kaizen.
Kaizen himself had described him as someone who would just float around babbling if thrown into water—talkative and snarky.
"How's the last month been? The Kaizen I brought along is way too hot-headed. It's been a real struggle assisting him."
"..."
"His name was Abel, right? So, how is he? I've never spoken to him myself, so it's hard to judge... Hot-headed? Cool-headed? Or maybe impulsive? What's his personality like?"
Whether Kaizen's assessment was spot-on or not, Karon started chattering nonstop even before she sat down.
Any normal person would have been drained already, but she seemed accustomed to it, calmly sipping the coffee prepared at her seat.
"Aah, that's cold. Why is there no one around me who'll listen to me?"
Was it from spending time with Abel?
She had picked up his habit of savoring a sip and enjoying the aroma.
Relishing the nutty flavor unique to coffee.
Watching her, Karon pretended to wipe away tears dramatically.
"Boo-hoo. I feel so pitiful. Even my colleagues ignore me. Ah! Your Grace! What should I do?"
He ranted with exaggerated gestures and tone, like he was performing in a play.
But she knew better.
Those over-the-top movements and speech were all an act.
The gestures to lower the opponent's guard.
The irritating tone to provoke their emotions.
Not a silent assassin, but a loud, clownish one—that was Karon.
Sneer.
Look at him now. Amid those exaggerated motions, those eyes dissecting her like a specimen.
He was the type who might pounce at the slightest lapse in vigilance.
"Have the others not arrived yet?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, no one else is here. I really think everyone should respect the time."
"..."
"Ah, ignored again."
As Karon prattled on, she set down her nearly empty coffee cup and glanced not at the entrance she'd used, but at another one.
Total of five.
Passages into this secret space, one assigned to each of the duke family's five elite assassins from Am-Young, with entrances that shifted constantly for security.
Grind.
Soon, another woman in a maid outfit appeared.
Nella, the maid serving the illegitimate daughter Bella.
Clack, clack.
With an expressionless face much like Mist's, she slowly approached the two.
She sat at her favorite spot with the coffee she loved, then immediately dropped her head with a massive sigh.
"Haaah. So exhausting."
As if that blank expression had been a lie, her face crumpled instantly.
Nella soon put on a teary expression and started slurping her coffee.
"Ugh, Bella really works me to death. I'm just a scrub. Wuu... Ah, sweet."
After one sip and a moment of admiration, she dumped more sugar cubes in, as if it wasn't enough.
"Whoa, isn't that too much sugar? You're gonna get diabetes."
One, two, three... By the tenth cube, even Karon sounded genuinely concerned.
"Shut up. I'm so stressed lately... Boo-hoo. Why make a maid investigate info or nobles' backgrounds? It's too much."
"I agree with Karon. Relieving stress with sweets isn't healthy."
"Quiet. I know..."
Plop.
Nella dropped in another sugar cube.
Now, stirring with a spoon made a gritty sound as the sugar refused to dissolve.
'Does she sip once and then add more sugar...?'
'Shouldn't we stop her? She's seriously gonna get diabetes.'
'No one's gonna listen to us anyway. Only the boss or Sebastian can get through to her.'
Mist and Karon exchanged a silent conversation through subtle signs, then looked back at Nella.
Crunch. Crunch.
Were those sounds really coming from her mouth as she drank coffee?
Even Mist, who cared little beyond her charge Abel, found it grating now.
"Heh heh heh. Miss Nella, perhaps some moderation?"
A kindly elderly voice reached the trio's ears.
Sebastian had appeared at the coffee bar, calmly hand-dripping coffee with a wry smile.
Drip, drip.
He poured hot water slowly through the filter, extracted the coffee, and approached with it, taking his seat.
"You should think of your health."
"Wuu... But..."
Smile.
"Understood..."
Sebastian gazed at the dejected Nella, then at the three gathered here—the members of the duke family's elite assassin unit Am-Young, including himself—and smiled lightly.
"Well then, shall we hear your reports on the past month?"
Abel aside, none of the other illegitimate heirs had passed their tests yet.
They couldn't even survive the basic one-year assassination training, dropping dead midway.
Thus, Sebastian had begun heir classes for the illegitimate children the day after Abel arrived.
And today was the day to review the results of that month.
"Yes, yes! Me, me! I'll go first!"
Karon shot up his hand eagerly.
"Yes, please do."
Sebastian passed the floor to him with a gentle smile.
The moment Sebastian finished, Karon sprang from his seat and launched into his report.
"Ahem. First, Master Kaizen attended the heir classes with great enthusiasm this month. But his learning aptitude is slightly below average—maybe why his grades were poor."
Nella and Mist eyed him, wondering why he bothered standing up to speak.
"Instead, he's building rapport with the knights! Joining light spars and training to win their favor, it seems."
Ignoring their stares, Karon continued.
"Overall evaluation: Poor aptitude suggests he's not the sharpest. But knowing his limits, he's networking with knights to build support—so not entirely dim. Thus, out of 10 points..."
Karon grinned like a clown, curling both mouth corners.
"3 points. That's it!"
"Understood. Next, how about Miss Bella?"
"Eek!! Y-Yes! I'll report!!"
Her turn came, and Nella yelped like a startled animal before resuming in her normal tone.
"First, Miss Bella's aptitude is excellent. The instructors praised her highly."
Her voice and face turned utterly emotionless, like a different person.
"Top aptitude. Smart as a mage should be. She's also forging ties with the administrative officials and other influential nobles."
Nella finished her report stoically.
"Miss Bella's evaluation: Great aptitude, but her elitist mindset shows in subtle discrimination against knights and commoners. 2 out of 10."
Most of those deducted points were probably for favoring one side as a potential family head.
Sebastian smiled inwardly at Nella's assessment.
"Thank you. Excellent report."
"Hueeeh."
At Sebastian's words, Nella deflated like a punctured balloon, slumping into her chair.
Sebastian finally turned to Mist, who had been sitting with eyes closed.
Abel.
The monster who had matched—even bested—the duke in combat, depending on the situation.
Sebastian paid her special attention, assisting such a being.
"Then, Miss Mist, your final report."
Click.
Finishing her last sip of coffee at his words, she spoke plainly about Abel, stripping away all subjectivity for pure facts.
"Master Abel has not attended a single heir class. Thus, assessing aptitude is impossible."
He had no strong attachment to the duke family anyway—it was only natural.
"Moreover, he hasn't formed ties with any faction."
The family's two major powers were simple: the knight order symbolizing martial might, and the civil officials or allied nobles.
Of course, Abel avoided both, doing nothing outside occasional walks this past month.
"So, objectively speaking..."
Continuing, Mist recalled serving him over the month and smiled faintly.
"0 points."
A truly objective score.
"..."
Sebastian smiled lightly at her finished report.
For a moment, he considered rephrasing to ask her subjective score, sans objectivity—but shook his head and smiled as usual.
"Thank you. Please continue assisting Master Abel."
With the evaluations of the illegitimate heirs complete and the three departing their seats, Sebastian thought of the duke, bedridden from internal injuries.
His condition, which should have lasted 3 to 5 years after the fight with Abel, was deteriorating rapidly.
Few passed the tests, and even those who did scored so low...
"Might need to resort to the last measure..."
Kaizen and Bella were still out of the running for now.
They clearly had talent.
Both young adults excelling in their fields—no doubt there.
But what they sought wasn't a standout specialist, but a family head to lead.
"Master Abel..."
In this bind, Abel was like rain in a drought.
The issue? Per Mist's report, he seemed disinterested in the head position.
"Sigh..."
Exhaling in frustration, Sebastian thought of Am-Young's absent leader.
"Contact her first."
The utmost secret, known only to a tiny few, not even other assassins.
By ancient tradition, only Nebla blood could lead Am-Young.
A contingency: in the worst crisis, elevate the leader to family head.
"..."
To prepare for the absolute worst, Sebastian moved at once.
Rumble.
"Man, the outside air is refreshing."
"..."
"Huh? You don't seem thrilled to walk with me, Miss Mist. Why's that?"
"...May I ask why you're moving with me?"
At Mist's question, Karon's beaming smile froze. He opened his squinted eyes wide and stared at her.
"Just curious. Miss Mist, have you..."
[Have you sworn loyalty to Master Abel?]
Karon's now expressionless face was as chilling as a sharpened dagger.