A Tempting Offer from the Blue Hawk
It tasted far more decent than I’d braced myself for.
It wasn’t the kind of flavor that made Sanctus bells ring in my ears, but it was still a noticeable step up from the cheap coffee I used to chug constantly during my exam-prep days.
“Is this one acceptable, at least? These beans were imported through a supplier connected to the longest-running café in the empire.”
Kyle must have read my expression, because he lit up visibly and launched into proud explanation mode.
“Thanks to that, the number of customers has been growing little by little. It got too much for me to handle alone, so I hired staff as well. The young lady who brought the coffee earlier is Emily—she’s incredibly capable.”
Kyle gazed at Emily with pure bliss, as if “new employee” were synonymous with “proof of a successful café.”
Then, as if he’d finally remembered why he’d invited me here in the first place, he gave an awkward laugh.
“I’ve been talking about everything except the actual reason I asked you to come.”
At this point I was starting to wonder if the café bragging session was the main event.
His face grew serious and he straightened his posture. It looked like something important was coming.
What? What is it?
I followed his lead, setting my coffee cup down and sitting up straighter.
After a brief pause, Kyle made his proposal.
“Miss Diaz. Would you consider working with me?”
Since the entire conversation up to now had been about the café, for a split second I thought he was trying to scout me as a barista.
The work would be much easier, but would it be contract? I do care about job security.
True to my nature as a corporate employee who always kept a resignation letter warm in her back pocket, I immediately began weighing the offer.
Kyle must have taken my silence the wrong way, because he hurried to add, “I mean, with the Blue Hawk.”
The Blue Hawk was the nickname for the intelligence guild and emperor’s personal secret unit that Kyle led.
The place where the emperor supposedly stuffed the empire’s greatest talents he’d personally picked up.
And he wanted me there?
I was literally Extra #102132, thank you very much.
“The Blue Hawk? We’re talking about the Blue Hawk, right?”
When I asked in a small voice, unsure if I’d heard correctly, Kyle scratched his cheek.
“Was the offer too sudden?”
“You could say that.”
My question-as-answer made Kyle’s eyes curve into a smile.
“After the war ended and we returned to the imperial palace, our workload actually increased. We’re in urgent need of more personnel.”
His eyebrows drooped into a perfect ‘八’ shape, proving just how swamped they really were.
“Of course, I’m making this offer because I hold your abilities in very high regard, Miss Diaz.”
Having just openly admitted to manpower shortages during what was supposed to be a recruitment pitch, Kyle quickly threw in some flattery while watching my reaction.
Work-life balance doesn’t exist in the Ministry of Finance either, you know.
I gave a light shrug, as if to say that part didn’t bother me.
“Are things so busy you’d take even a cat’s paw?”
When I subtly asked why he’d chosen me, Kyle let out a deflating laugh.
“It’s true we’re busy enough to need even a cat’s paw, but I genuinely do hold your abilities in high regard.”
In situations like this, you were only supposed to believe about half of what people said.
So I decided to believe the first part.
That busy, huh?
Even the Ministry of Finance had seen its workload explode after His Majesty’s return. Kyle had to be far busier than a mere low-level administrator like me.
Come to think of it, he probably had more free time during the war. The contrast must feel even worse now.
I glanced sideways at the café that had been open for nearly three years.
For a front for an intelligence guild, it felt almost too authentic.
I recalled a side story from the original novel: while the emperor was away at war, Kyle and the Blue Hawk had stayed in the capital, keeping the nobles in check.
They say information wasn’t all that crucial in the war the emperor fought.
Because the emperor himself was the type to simply overwhelm everything with overwhelming force.
This is the perfect example of ‘if your body is strong, your head suffers less.’
Since they’d basically been on standby for any unforeseen incidents, it made sense that Kyle had been relatively free.
But now that the emperor has returned, it’s time to tighten control internally again.
The emperor had spent the entire time since his ascension on the battlefield, so the corrupt officials who had grown fat during the previous emperor’s reign were still lurking about.
They were currently lying low, wary of an emperor who held both military power and the people’s hearts, but that kind of tension couldn’t last forever.
If they were the type to easily give up the sweet taste of power, they wouldn’t have committed corruption in the first place. So naturally Kyle’s workload increased.
Politics required justification more than brute force, after all.
I more or less accepted the reason behind this sudden recruitment.
Still… something feels off.
When my hesitation stretched on, Kyle slid a contract across the table like a fisherman dangling bait.
“This is the employment contract.”
He wore the smile of a gambler holding a winning hand.
“I can’t give you the exact details of the work yet, but…”
I took it and checked. Just as he’d said, many sections—work duties, workplace, etc.—were left blank.
But the compensation written there was more than four times my current salary.
Kyle’s lips curved higher when he noticed me scanning the number repeatedly.
I was going to politely decline, but…
That was an awfully large sum to turn down.
Maybe I should hear a little more?
As I stood there stunned by the overwhelming figure, Kyle drove the final nail in.
“Consider that the base salary you’d receive as a member of the Blue Hawk.”
“This is the base salary?”
Oops. My voice might have gone up a bit.
Kyle added a bit more explanation.
“All Blue Hawk members take an oath of secrecy using a method known as the Oath of Mana. The amount reflects danger pay based on the nature of the work. Of course, the tasks you’d be handling wouldn’t be particularly dangerous.”
He emphasized that what I’d be doing wouldn’t differ greatly from my current work at the Ministry of Finance.
Well, I didn’t think they were scouting me as a spy anyway. The only real issue is the secrecy oath.
The Oath of Mana was a magical contract that forced you to pay the promised price if you broke it.
Betrayal means death, basically.
The fact that I kept thinking “it’ll be fine as long as I keep the oath” showed just how terrifying the power of money could be.
But objectively speaking, my current salary isn’t even that bad.
And yet they were offering four times that.
“Ah, members of the Blue Hawk are also provided with a cover position. Since you already work at the imperial palace, Miss Diaz, we wouldn’t need to arrange anything separate. Naturally, you’d still receive the salary that comes with the cover position.”
So it wasn’t four times my annual salary—it was five.
Honestly, I’m tempted.
If I didn’t know the future, I would have signed the contract on the spot.
But the timing was terrible.
If this weren’t the chaotic period right before the original story begins, I would have done it.
There were still six months until the female protagonist appeared. For now, I needed to keep my head down.
Things were quiet for the moment, but soon a bloody wind would blow through the imperial palace.
The nobles thought the emperor—who had been surprisingly restrained in the early days—was just a rookie who only had military power, so they tried to devour him.
After spending nearly a third of his life at war, the emperor was suffering from a bit of burnout. They had completely misinterpreted that as “his personality is milder than expected.”
What was it they said? That the rumor of the emperor being a blood-crazed demon was just propaganda to lower the enemy’s morale?
But about half of that rumor was true.
He doesn’t particularly enjoy killing people, but he’s not the type to value human lives highly either.
The emperor had simply found the buzzing flies annoying and left them alone for a while. It wouldn’t take long for him to explode.
According to the original story’s timeline, he should have exploded long ago. The fact that it’s still quiet is actually a bit strange.
Was he distracted by something else?
Anyway, unless the emperor suddenly turned over a new leaf, it wouldn’t be long.
If I joined the Blue Hawk, I might be safer from the typhoon about to hit the palace.
But in a slightly different sense, it would be even more dangerous.
The emperor does clean house when he gets angry, but he can’t just wipe out all his ministers.
The Blue Hawk would have to shine during that process.
It would be like stepping into the eye of the storm, and I very much wanted to live a long, quiet life.
When I still couldn’t make up my mind, Kyle carefully suggested, “It seems difficult to decide right away. I’ll give you plenty of time to think it over, so please consider it positively.”
At his offer to postpone the decision, I eventually nodded.
Ah, the more I think about it, the more I want to do it.
For a moment the thought that I was already halfway convinced flashed through my mind, but I first secured my escape route.
There were still six months until the original story began. A storm was scheduled, but where an extra like me would be standing when it hit was anyone’s guess.